Monday, October 19, 2015

I’m in the early stages of a project that most of my friends think is crazy.

My favorite reaction has been that of my brother and one of my best friends; they simply changed the subject. I told them about the idea and after a short, uncomfortable silence they both said, “Well, that’s great. Now…..” and they moved on to talk about something else.

A VERY small number of people have had comments such as:

- This could work.

- This is interesting.

- Are you sh****** me! This is great!!

- Man, this could be a gold mine!

Every morning when I wake this is the first thing I think about, and it’s the last thought on my mind before I go to sleep. In between, my thoughts run from the peak of confidence to sheer terror. I can tell my blood pressure is up and I spend too much time feeling like I should be trying something that makes more sense.

Like many of the projects I’ve come up with no one I know has ever done anything like this. So, it ain’t like I’ve got a road map.

If you’re running into a situation like this I can offer three suggestions:

Focus. What’s the most important thing you need to do RIGHT NOW that moves the project forward?

Action. Do SOMETHING. Keep moving (even if it’s one step forward and two steps back) and eventually you start seeing the project coming into shape.

Relax. Find healthy ways to relax and get it off your mind…or, at least be able to get to a point for a short time that it isn’t foremost in your mind for awhile.

I’m trying my best to believe this is true: “Surrender to what is. Say “yes” to life and see how life suddenly starts working for you, rather than against you.”

Contact

Mike Collins is president of The Perfect Workday Company, an information company based in The Research Triangle Region of North Carolina. He presents 100+ programs a year for organizations such as IBM, American Express, Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals and The John F. Kennedy Special Warfare School and Center.